1 John 4:19–5:4
19 Let us therefore love God, because God first hath loved us. 20 If any man say, I love God, and hateth his brother; he is a liar. For he that loveth not his brother, whom he seeth, how can he love God, whom he seeth not? 21 And this commandment we have from God, that he, who loveth God, love also his brother.
1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God. And every one that loveth him who begot, loveth him also who is born of him. 2 In this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the charity of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not heavy. 4 For whatsoever is born of God, overcometh the world: and this is the victory which overcometh the world, our faith. 5 Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?
The Douay Rheims explains:
[1] “Is born of God”: That is, is justified, and become a child of God by baptism: which is also to be understood; provided the belief of this fundamental article of the Christian faith be accompanied with all the other conditions, which, by the word of God, and his appointment, are also required to justification; such as a general belief of all that God has revealed and promised: hope, love, repentance, and a sincere disposition to keep God’s holy law and commandments.
[4] “Our faith”: Not a bare, speculative, or dead faith; but a faith that worketh by charity. Gal. 5. 6
There are a lot of things in life that I do not understand. Among these, especially, are divisions among Christians. Hopefully, when I criticize Protestant doctrines and denominations, I always remember to qualify my statements with sincere words of charitable concern. It can be hard, especially when one is verbally, or even physically, attacked for one’s sincere faith to react as a Christian should. I know I am not perfect in this matter. I have an Irish temper and a flawed human nature. But, I honestly do not understand how one who calls himself a Christian can hate other Christians.
The word, Protestant, comes from protest. Protestantism began in an active rejection and hatred of the Catholic Church. Luther, King Henry, VIII and those who followed them did not merely write and speak against the Church, but they killed priests, monks and nuns, hunting them down like animals and slaughtering them publicly. They imprisoned and killed the Catholic faithful and confiscated their property. They killed rich and poor alike and even committed genocide, especially against the Irish. Luther, himself wrote:
“Peasants are no better than straw. They will not hear the word and they are without sense; therefore they must be compelled to hear the crack of the whip and the whiz of bullets and it is only what they deserve.”
“To kill a peasant is not murder; it is helping to extinguish the conflagration. Let there be no half measures! Crush them! Cut their throats! Transfix them. Leave no stone unturned! To kill a peasant is to destroy a mad dog!” – “If they say that I am very hard and merciless, mercy be damned. Let whoever can stab, strangle, and kill them like mad dogs”
“I, Martin Luther, have during the rebellion slain all the peasants, for it was I who ordered them to be struck dead. All their blood is upon my head. But I put it all on our Lord God: for he commanded me to speak thus.”
It should be noted that many of the “peasants” for whose murder Luther advocated were the very Protestants who followed him. After being convinced they could throw off the rule of the Catholic Church, they rebelled against the German royalty. Luther constantly courted the German royals for their support against the Church and for the vast sums of money they gave him. What could the poor do for this “man of God?” They were worth nothing to him even though they were Lutherans.
The simple fact is that one cannot love God and hate other Christians. You can disagree with people and their doctrines. And, I suppose if one rejects all Catholic doctrine, but still has a love of Christ, he may feel the need to strongly debate such points with Catholics. But, to hate the Church founded by Christ and its members, is to hate the Body of Christ into which we are Baptized. To hate Christians is to hate Christ and the Holy Spirit that lives in us. To hate Catholicism is to be an enemy of God, no matter what you call yourself or claim to believe.
Judson Carroll is the author of several books, including his newest, A Daily Catholic Devotional, Reflections on the Daily Mass Readings January - June, 2026 It is Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GDK16N45
and
Confirmation, an Autobiography of Faith. It is also Available in paperback on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C47Q1JNK
His podcast is The Uncensored Catholic https://www.spreaker.com/show/the-uncensored-catholic
What you wrote I totally on the spot. It was and still is a tragedy , what happened during Luther.
I can only understand it when I know the EVIL ONE always seems to find those easily disposed to do evil in the world . He hates Christ and He therefore hates His church. This wil continue until HE , our beloved will come back .